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People in cultures that are relatively accepting of inequality in power or wealth are less likely to give to the needy, according to research by Karen Page Winterich, of Pennsylvania State University, and Yinlong Zhang, of the University of Texas at San Antonio. Countries with high levels of giving, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the U.S., were found to be less accepting of inequality; those with low levels of giving, including Bulgaria, China, India, Russia, and Serbia, were more accepting of inequality. An acceptance of inequality may reduce people’s sense of responsibility for others, the researchers say.

A version of this article appeared in the July–August 2014 issue of Harvard Business Review.

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